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Been checking the trades for news of a Bernie Madoff movie in development? Oh. Maybe Michael Chiklis can interest you in something more modest, but with all the scintillating twists the word "Ponzi" implies.

The former Shield star, himself having been once duped in a Ponzi scheme decidedly smaller than the $50 billion variety that took down untold numbers of Hollywood investors, needs a new gig. Enter House of Cards, which Chiklis has been developing at FX since February. The series focuses on the head of the scam; Chiklis will executive produce but not star, offering his unique technical counsel from his own pyramid-plot days:

For Chiklis, his monetary loss was compounded by his regret of convincing friends to invest too.

"That was the worst part of it," he said. "It's one thing when you lose your own money, but here you lose your friends' money while your true-hearts-hope was to make them money."